Ministry Home Visit
by AnyaLehnsherr
Summary: AU where Lucius abuses Draco, set before the books, when Draco is nine. After being hurt once again by Lucius' cruel abuse, Draco receives help from an unlikely source.
1. Crucio

**Warning for mentions of child abuse. It's not graphic, but it's a bit dark. **

Draco lay on the floor. He couldn't move. All he could do was cry. He was in so much pain. He was used to it. In his nine years of life, he had felt so much pain. He wished someone, anyone would come to his rescue. But then they'd know. Father had told him no one could know. Father would kill him if he told anyone. He would stay here on the floor.

"Master Draco? Dobby heard you crying, Master Draco. Is there any way Dobby can assist you, sir?"

"Go away, Dobby!" Draco snapped out through his tears. He couldn't accept the help of a House Elf. He didn't know why, but Father always told him House Elves were beneath them.

"Dobby will not go away while Master Draco needs him. Though Dobby will need to punish himself for disobeying Master Draco. Dobby will close his ears in the door when he is done helping Master Draco."

Draco had never liked that. Father had hurt him enough times that he didn't want to see anyone, even a House Elf being punished by being hurt.

"No, Dobby. I'm ordering you to not hurt yourself. So, if you hurt yourself, you'll have to hurt yourself again for disobeying me, ok?"

"Master Draco is too kind. Dobby now must help Master Draco. Is Master Draco hurt? Dobby is used to dealing with being hurt. Dobby can help Master Draco."

"Yes. I'm hurt again."

"Dobby wishes that Master Draco would forgive him for asking this, but how is Master Draco hurt if he doesn't have any cuts or burns or bruises?"

"He hurt me with magic. He pointed his wand at me and said "Crucio!" Then I just hurt all over. He did it over and over. It hurt so bad!"

Dobby gasped. "Master Lucius doesn't even do such evil magic to Dobby! And Master Lucius does everything bad to Dobby!"

"He said I was bad. I was talking about a witch I met in town. I told Father I thought she was pretty. When I told him her name, he said I was bad for thinking the daughter of a Mudblood and a Blood Traitor was pretty. I told him I didn't know what those things meant, and that I didn't care. He yelled at me for being stupid and did this to me."

Dobby had heard enough. He didn't like what Lucius did to him, of course, but he knew it was part of the lot of being a House Elf. Draco was just a little boy. He knew there was nothing he could do to prevent himself from being hurt, but he wanted to do that for someone else. Dobby snapped his fingers and vanished.

**To be continued...**


	2. Help

"Draco! Wherever you are, you had better come here this instant!"

Draco gulped. He knew he was late for tea. It was a Malfoy tradition, and Draco knew the consequences for messing up a Malfoy tradition. He didn't want to be near Father right now, but he knew he would only be hurt worse if he didn't go.

"C-c-coming, Father!"

"You're right you are! Stop that stammering, boy. A Malfoy doesn't stammer."

"Sorry, Father."

"Now sit down, boy. You will learn to be a civilized, respectable boy. For generations, the Malfoy name has been great, and I will not have a son who ends that reputation. Do you understand, Draco?"

The truth was Draco didn't understand any of it. He didn't understand what made the Malfoy family better than other families. He didn't think they were any better. He had met many witches and wizards his age who had families he thought were better. The kids called their parents "Mum" and "Dad," not "Mother" and "Father." Draco didn't know why, but he thought that sounded a lot nicer. Those parents hugged and kissed and played with their children. The other little witches and wizards Draco's age never had cuts and bruises from their fathers, but rather had little cuts and bruises from running around and playing outside. Draco wanted to run and play, but Father said it wasn't dignified. Draco thought those families were better than theirs. But he knew what answer Father wanted.

"Yes, Father. I understand."

"Good. Now drink your tea. You know it's important for a Malfoy to keep his family's traditions, right?"

"Yes, Father, I know."

"Good. You're learning. If you would learn faster, I wouldn't have to punish you."

As usual, the family had their tea in silence. When Dobby came in to freshen their cups, he winked at Draco, trying to communicate to him that help was on the way. At that moment, there was a green fire in the fire place, and suddenly there were three people in very official-looking robes in their house. The man in the front spoke first.

"Mr. Malfoy, forgive the interruption. We are with the Ministry of Magic."

"Yes, I know. What is the reason behind such an invasion?"

"We received a tip that the Cruciatus Curse had been used in this house, along with other complaints that we're going to investigate. My associate," The man said while pointing at the woman, "would like to talk to your son privately. I have a few questions for you, while he," he said indicating the other man, "will have a look around."

"This is my property. I will be complaining to your superiors."

"Your money can't get you out of this one, sir."

"You think that. Go ahead and question my son." Lucius shot a glare at Draco. "I'm sure he will confirm that nothing is amiss in this home."

The woman looked at Draco. He was trying to hide how scared he was, but she saw through his facade. She smiled at him kindly and said, "Draco, would you like to come with me? We can go to your bedroom and chat."

Draco nodded. "Yes, ma'am." The two of them walked to his bedroom.

"This is a great bedroom you have, Draco. But why don't you have any toys in here?"

"Father doesn't allow toys in my bedroom. I'm allowed to read books in my free time. Sometimes I get to play when I go to my friends' houses. But I can't tell Father. He says that at my age a Malfoy shouldn't play anymore. I haven't had toys since I was five."

"What would your Father do if he found out you played at a friend's house?"

Draco was terrified. He knew Father would hurt him if he told this lady the truth. But something in him wanted to tell the truth.

"I'm not allowed to play. He would punish me."

"How does he punish you?"

Draco didn't answer. He couldn't.

"Draco, dear, it's ok. You can tell me the truth."

Draco just shook his head. Part of him wanted to tell this lady the truth. Part of him wanted her to take him away from his house. But where would he go? What would happen to him?

"I c-can't. I can't tell you." For a second he felt terrified. He was stammering again. Had Father heard? What if this lady didn't like stammering either? Would she hurt him?

"Draco, this is important. We are here to help you."

"I can't tell you. He'll hurt me."

"Has he hurt you before?"

Draco knew he had slipped. He was filled with even more fear. What if Father knew he had messed up and told her that?

"I didn't mean that!"

"Draco, you can tell me the truth. Has your father ever used the Cruciatus Curse on anyone?"

"What's that?"

"Has he ever pointed his wand at someone and said the word "Crucio?"

"Yes."

"Has he ever done that to you?"

Draco started crying. He hated the sound of that word.

"Please don't tell him I told you that."

"Draco, we are here to protect you. We aren't going to let him hurt you."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. Now tell me. Has your father ever hurt you with the Cruciatus Curse?"

"Yes. He did it today. I said something he thought was bad. He did it over and over. It hurt! It hurt so much!"

Draco sobbed. The woman had walked over to him and put her arm around him. She let Draco sob on her shoulder. She wanted to hurt Lucius Malfoy for causing this child such pain.

"Please don't tell him I told you."

"I'll do what I can, dear. I promise you, I'm going to do whatever I can to help you."


	3. Promises

Draco finally stopped crying. For some reason he trusted this woman. He trusted her words when she said she wanted to help him. Maybe she could make Father stop hurting him. He didn't know how that would be possible, but he believed this woman could do it. It felt strange to Draco to have a hug in his home. His mother doted on him in public, but she never bothered to hug and kiss him behind closed doors. Mother had never hurt him like Father had, but she had never given him much care either.

Being in public was fun for Draco. It was a fantasy world. He didn't have to suffer his father's cruelty in public. He received affection from his mother. He didn't have to tell anyone the truth. He told everyone about how many toys he had. He bragged to all his friends about how his father had filled three rooms in their home with toys, all of them just for him. His friends always begged to come over to his house. He had to come up with excuse after excuse telling them why he couldn't show them the play rooms. His friends never had to lie. He had been to their houses. Greg Goyle and Vince Crabbe had play rooms in their houses. Not only that, they were allowed to run around outside until dinner. That's why Draco made up three play rooms: if having one was good, having three must be fantastic. He told his friends he could play outside all day if he wanted to. He said his mother (whom he called "Mum" only when he lied about her to his friends) would come outside with him and they would eat dinner together if he wanted to eat dinner without coming inside. Vince and Greg always "oohed" and "ahed" in amusement and envy at Draco's stories.

If only they knew the truth. If only they knew Father beat and cursed Draco. If only they knew Mother didn't care about him. Sometimes Draco felt like screaming the truth at the top of his lungs hoping somebody, anybody, would come to his rescue. But he couldn't. He had never been able to tell the truth. Not until now anyway. Now he had this woman, this stranger sitting on his bed holding him while he cried, promising him that she would help.

"There, there, Draco. It will all be alright. I will do whatever I can to make sure your father can't hurt you anymore."

"You promise?"

"Promise."

Draco wiped the tears from his face and smiled at the woman. He realized he didn't even know the name of the woman saving him.

"Ma'am, can I ask you something?"

"Of course. Anything, dear."

"What's your name?"

"Sandrine Aleksia. But you can call me Sandy."

"Thank you, Sandy."

"Of course, dear. Now let's go downstairs. I need to talk to the other people I'm working with so we can all help you, ok?"

"Ok. Whatever you say, Sandy."

Sandy smiled, despite the pit in her stomach. She had worked child abuse cases before, but she doubted she would ever get used to them. This wasn't the worst case she had worked. She had worked too many cases involving the Cruciatus Curse. She had worked too many cases where children as young as Draco, many younger, had bruises all over their bodies. Draco wasn't the first child to sob on her shoulder. Even if he hadn't confessed the abuse, she would have pursued the case anyway. She had seen that look of terror in the eyes of too many children. Most people bought the act that everything was fine, but Sandy had learned how to see it in a child's eyes.

Despite the too high number of cases she had worked, something drew her to Draco. Something about him stirred her protective instincts more than her usual cases. Maybe it wasn't being drawn to Draco, but being repulsed by Lucius more than the other abusers she had worked against. She had never met the man, but by working in the Ministry she had heard stories about him that disgusted her enough. Now she learned that not only was he a professional snake, he was a child abuser.

Sandy and Draco walked down the stairs and back to the living room where the Malfoys had been having tea.

"Draco," Sandy addressed him, quietly and gently, "wait here while I talk to the men I came with."

Draco nodded. Sandy took a few steps closer to the man who had been interviewing Lucius. He turned toward her with an eerie smile on his face and a hand on his pocket.

"Ah! Sandrine, there you are. I was wondering when you'd finish up with the child."

"Sir, I think you and I should speak in private."

"Oh, that won't be necessary. Mr. Malfoy explained the situation to me. Apparently he has a House Elf with a wild imagination. You see, the creature overheard a conversation Mr. Malfoy was having with Draco about the Unforgivable Curses, and the elf thought Mr. Malfoy was using the curse on Draco. You see? Just a simple misunderstanding."

That was the most pathetic excuse Sandy had heard in all her years working for the Ministry. A child at the age of nine had no need to learn of the Unforgivable Curses. School children are taught them in their fourth year at Hogwarts when they are fourteen. Even if a parent had this conversation with his child, there would be no way of confusing this with using the curse on him. No one, especially not a child, would be able to prevent himself from screaming if the Cruciatus Curse was used on him.

"I see someone has quite the wild imagination."

"Oh, I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't met Dobby," Lucius said. "You wouldn't believe the nonsense we put up with from him. If I didn't have such a heart for living creatures, I wouldn't keep him around. It of course helps that he makes the best tea known on earth."

"Mr. Malfoy," Sandy's boss said, "we must apologize for the intrusion."

"Not at all." Lucius walked over to Draco and put a hand on his shoulder. "Despite all the wealth in this home, this boy here is my most prized possession. If there was any reason to believe he might be in any danger, I would want the Ministry to respond accordingly."

"Thank you for understanding, Mr. Malfoy. We are just looking out for your son, of course."

"Which is why," Sandy interrupted, "I must speak to my boss in private."

"Sandrine," Lucius began, "I truly appreciate what you're trying to do for my son. I would be beside myself if anything were to happen to him. As a token of my appreciation, why don't you take this," Lucius said as he opened a cabinet and pulled out a beautiful necklace. "It has been in my family for generations. I cannot even guess how much it is worth, and you likely wouldn't believe it even if I did. However, as I was telling your friend, Draco is more precious to me than anything else. Take it as a token of the goodwill between us knowing I harbor no hard feelings toward you."

This was more pathetic than the excuse. Did he really think he could bribe her out of protecting a child from vicious abuse?

"That won't be necessary, Mr. Malfoy."

"It would look lovely on you, Sandrine."

Sandy ignored Lucius' bribe. She knew Lucius had won this round. She was going to have to leave. She had to try one last thing.

"Very well." Sandy walked over to Draco and gave him a slip of paper. "Draco, this is my information. If you ever need me, you can send me an owl."

"Sandy, you're leaving?"

"Yes, Draco. I have to leave now. Do you remember what I promised?"

"Yes."

"Good. I always keep my promises."

"But...please don't go."

"Forgive me, Sandrine. It looks like my son is forgetting his manners. Don't worry, he will learn," Lucius said as he shot an angry glance at Draco. "I must teach him that it is impolite to try to prevent visitors from leaving."

The pit in Sandy's stomach grew deeper. It was clear Draco would continue to suffer from his father's cruel abuse. She saw the terror return to Draco's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sandy. It was a pleasure to meet you," Draco said robotically, as if he had memorized those words.

Sandy followed her coworkers into the Malfoy fire place and threw the Floo Powder. She had never been filled with such regret.


	4. Trapped

**Warning: This chapter includes depictions of child abuse.**

Draco tried to slip to his bedroom. He knew he didn't want to be around his father right now. Unfortunately, Lucius caught him before he left.

"Draco, where do you think you're going?"

"My bedroom."

"Did you leave something up there? You and Sandrine were up there a very long time."

Though Lucius had asked a question, Draco knew he wasn't supposed to answer. He just stared at the floor.

"Tell me, Draco, what do I always say is the most important rule in our family?"

"Private matters are private."

"Yes. Very good, Draco. You are capable of learning after all. Now, answer this, Draco. Is Sandrine, or anyone else who works at the Ministry, meant to be involved in our private matters?"

Draco was terrified. His father's worst abuses never came during his fits of rage. No, the worst Lucius did to Draco was usually after a speech like this. Lots of questions, all spoken in a much too calm tone. Draco knew his father would soon strike him.

"No, Father."

"You're right. She's not. I trust you remembered that while speaking to her."

Draco was trapped. No matter what he said, he knew a beating was coming. If he denied telling Sandy anything, he would be accused of lying. If he told the truth, he didn't know what would happen to him. He had always been threatened with death if he told anyone the truth about Father.

"Of course, Father. It's the most important rule."

"So, you didn't tell her anything about our private matters."

Draco was silent. He looked at his mother, hoping this would be the time she helped him. As usual, she left the room. He was alone. While he was looking away, he felt his father's hand strike his cheek.

"Why do I always have to remind you to face me while I speak to you? Answer me, Draco. What did you and Sandrine talk about?"

"She asked me about my room. She asked me what I do for fun. I told her toys weren't dignified. I told her a Malfoy doesn't run and play."

Lucius smiled at the boy. It wasn't a kind smile, of course, but it still filled Draco with a flicker of hope. Perhaps Father would change his mind. Perhaps he wouldn't beat him more.

"Good. Very good, Draco. I see you're learning your rules. But explaining that to her couldn't have taken the whole time."

Draco hesitated. He didn't know what to say. Sadly, hesitating wasn't the correct answer either. He felt his father's hands gripping his shoulders. He felt his back slamming against the wall. Lucius lowered himself to look Draco in the eye, further intimidating him. With one hand still on Draco's shoulder pressing him against the wall, Lucius raised his other hand and smacked it against Draco's face.

"Answer me, boy. What did you tell Sandrine?"

"Nothing! I didn't tell Sandy anything!"

Lucius yanked Draco forward and snapped him back, slamming him into the wall again, this time with a hand pressed on Draco's neck, choking him.

"That's another thing, you stupid boy. What have I told you about calling adults by their first names? A child like you should address her as Madame Aleksia. When will you ever learn?"

Draco squirmed behind his father's cruel hands. He couldn't breathe. He didn't even know what Father was saying. He was too distracted by his fear and pain. He didn't care what Father was saying. He only cared about the pain stopping. Lucius knocked Draco to the ground.

"Father, please, I didn't tell her anything. I didn't tell Sandy anything!"

Lucius kicked Draco in the stomach and used his foot to pin him down.

"You stupid, stupid child! You dare mock me? I just told you not to call her by her first name."

"She told me to! She's my friend. She's helping me."

Another kick hit Draco in the stomach.

"Helping you? With what? Did you tell her you need help?"

Draco stayed silent. He felt trapped. He always felt trapped in his home. He had learned there was never a correct answer to his father's questions. Or at least he had never found one. He knew it had been a mistake to talk to Sandy, but it would have been a mistake to not tell anyone. He knew his father would have hurt him again anyway. Lucius landed one more kick to Draco's stomach.

"Stupid boy. You're lucky we Malfoys are so important. I will be able to take care of the problems with Sandrine at the Ministry. But let this be a lesson, Draco. You are not to talk about our private matters to anyone outside this family ever again. Understood?"

"Yes, Father."

Lucius bent down, grabbed Draco's hair, and jerked him up.

"Stand up, Draco. Dobby! Dobby, get in here!"

Dobby came into the room immediately. He tried to keep his attention centered on Lucius, but he was distracted at the sight of Draco. He saw a trickle of blood running down Draco's chin and bruises forming on his neck and face.

"Yes, Master Lucius?"

"Dobby, as I'm sure you can see, Draco has wounds that need attending to. Clean him up. He can't look like that. We're having company over tonight. And Draco will look and act dignified."

Dobby nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good. And be quick about it, Dobby. He still needs to get dressed."

Dobby nodded again. "Yes, sir."


	5. Letter

"Come, Master Draco. Dobby will take care of you in your bedroom."

Draco nodded and followed Dobby down the hall and up the stairs.

"Ok, Master Draco. Dobby will help you now. But first, Dobby must ask a question. What happened to Master Draco?"

Draco shook. He was still shaken from the beating he received. It wasn't the worst his father had ever done to him, but it still terrified him. He knew it wouldn't be the last beating he would receive. His reflex was to lie, but he knew Dobby already knew the truth.

"Father did this to me."

Dobby knew that was the truth. He just hoped it wasn't. He couldn't help but feel guilty. If he hadn't gone to the Ministry to tip them off, Draco wouldn't have been beaten today. He knew on some level Lucius would still be an abuser, and still would have found some excuse to harm Draco. But he still felt guilty. All he had wanted was to help the boy, but it seemed like his actions had the opposite effect. He planned on burning his hands with the iron for doing this to Draco.

"Dobby is so sorry, Master Draco. Is there anything Dobby can do to make it up to Master Draco."

"It doesn't matter, Dobby. He'll still hate me. Why am I so stupid, Dobby?"

Dobby began treating Draco's wounds while talking. He knew both of them would be punished if Draco didn't look perfect for tonight's gathering.

"Master Draco is not stupid. Dobby is stupid for getting Draco in trouble today."

"It doesn't matter. I just can't learn. I'm so stupid. That's why he hurts me."

"No, Master Draco. That's not it. But Dobby must stop himself from talking. Dobby would speak ill of his master if he kept talking. But Master Draco must not call himself stupid."

"Ok. Dobby, could you help me with something else?"

"Anything, Master Draco."

"I need help writing a letter."

"Of course. Who is Master Draco writing a letter to?"

"Sa- I mean, Madame Alexsia."

"Pardon me for asking, sir, but who is Madame Aleksia?"

"The lady who was here trying to help me. She gave me her information to send her an owl. She promised she would help me. She's my friend now. She wouldn't break this promise. If I tell her the truth, she'll help me."

Dobby gulped. This didn't sound like a good idea. What if Lucius found out? What would he do?

"Master Draco, are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Yes. Madame Aleksia will help me. She promised."

"Master Draco, Dobby is sorry he has to keep protesting. Dobby will have to fling himself out the window when he is done helping Master Draco. But how can Master Draco be sure Madame Aleksia will help him? How does Master Draco know Master Lucius won't see it first and hurt Dobby and Master Draco?"

"Stop talking, Dobby! That's an order! Stupid House Elf! Father is right. House Elves aren't smart!"

Dobby was hurt. He was used to insults far worse than that, but he had never been insulted by Draco before. This made him hate Lucius even more. He knew Draco wouldn't have the rotten side that came out sometimes if it weren't for Lucius' abuse and rules.

"Forgive me, Master Draco. Dobby will fling himself out the window _and _hit his head with a kettle for this, sir."

"No! I still don't want you to hurt yourself, Dobby."

"Master Draco is too kind, sir. Dobby will help Master Draco write that letter."

"Thank you, Dobby."

"First Dobby must dress Master Draco. Dobby must hurry if Master Draco wants to write this letter tonight."

Dobby dressed Draco in the dress robes he had for having company over. He checked the time, and realized they had enough time to write a letter to Madame Aleksia.

"Dobby will get some parchment and we will write the letter for Madame Aleksia."

Dobby snapped his fingers and disappeared. After a second, Dobby reappeared with parchment in his hands. He took out a quill and handed it to Draco.

"This is what I wrote:

Dear Madame Aleksia,

Thank you for trying to help me today. Thank you for becoming my friend. But I need more help. Father beat me again after you left. Please, Madame Aleksia. I need your help. Please get me away from him. I need to go far away. Help me.

From,

Draco Malfoy.

Does that sound good, Dobby?"

"If that's what Master Draco wants the letter to say, it's perfect."

"Thank you, Dobby," Draco said as he knelt on the ground, looking for the slip of paper Sandy had given him. He panicked for a second, thinking he had lost it. Then he remembered he had put it in his pants pocket. He crawled to wear his pants were that he had just changed out of and pulled it out of the pocket. "Here, Dobby. This is the information Madame Aleksia gave me. Send this to her by owl."

"Of course, Master Draco. Dobby will do that right away."

"Thank you, Dobby. I know she'll help me. I just know she'll help me."


	6. Power

**Author's note: I'm terribly sorry I haven't updated in so long. I hope this chapter is worth the wait. I will try to update more regularly in the future.**

_Meanwhile..._

Sandy and the others arrived back at the Ministry. Her boss and coworker were going back to their desks. Sandy could hardly believe that they were just going to let this go. She followed her boss to his desk to speak with him.

"With all due respect, sir, I can't believe what you did back there!" Sandy snapped. She was livid. She had worked in the Ministry for ten years and she had never seen such a blatant violation of every ethical rule. She couldn't believe her boss, Edric Cabot, would accept a bribe and end an investigation when a child's safety was at stake.

"It was a false alarm, Sandrine. We've had them before; we'll have them again."

"You know as well as I do Draco Malfoy is being abused."

"We don't know that, Sandrine. You're a good employee. Your passion is a great asset, but it gets in the way. You care so much about protecting children that you want to protect them from things that aren't even a threat."

"Draco told me that his father had hurt him. He told me his father had used the Cruciatus Curse on him. How do you explain that?"

"The boy is only nine. Children that age like to make things up."

"He was crying and begging me not to tell anyone about it. He begged me to help him."

"He's still a boy. He was probably having a bad day."

"What about that House Elf. I think his name is Dobby. Was he just having a bad day too? He was the one who tipped us off."

"You know how elves can be."

"Mr. Cabot, Lucius tried to bribe me. You saw that. Has anyone innocent ever tried to bribe a Ministry employee?"

Sandy was getting angrier and angrier by the second. She couldn't believe how ridiculous Mr. Cabot was being. It was obvious to her Draco was telling the truth about his abuse. This wasn't like Mr. Cabot. He wasn't as passionate as she was, but he wasn't corrupt like that.

"Sandrine, I know you're trying to do the right thing, but there are other cases for you to work. Why are you so focused on this one?"

"Do I need a reason to fight to protect a child from abuse? Since when do _you_ need a reason?"

"Do you have any idea whose home we were just in? The Malfoy family has practically run the wizarding world for decades. If you pursue this case, Lucius will pursue you. He has the power to take you down. Do you want that?"

"What I want is Draco to be safe. I thought that's what you would want. Isn't that why you started working here: to protect innocent people from monsters like Lucius Malfoy?"

"The best way for both of us to protect children is to let this one go. We can't continue protecting children if we're out of our jobs."

"He bribed you too, didn't he, Edric? And you took it."

"You will show me some respect, Sandy."

"What did he give you?"

"I am your boss, Sandy."

"What did he give you?"

Edric smiled. He decided that, no matter what, he wasn't going to let Sandy win this one. Maybe showing her this could remind her of who they were dealing with. He reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out a gold pocket watch.

"It's very nice, Mr. Cabot. I didn't know a pocket watch was worth more to you than a boy's safety."

"Sandy, with or without the pocket watch, I would have told you not to pursue this case. You know why? Look at it. It's solid gold. And look at the back. Those are emeralds and diamonds surrounded by platinum. But it's not even the precious metals and stones that really make this watch expensive. It's the fact that those diamonds, emeralds, and platinum surround the letter M. As in Malfoy. As in Lucius' great great grandfather, Ares Malfoy, the original owner of this watch. This watch represents more than Lucius' wealth. It represents his power. The power that his family has had for generations and will continue to have for generations more."

"So we're just going to give up? We let Lucius Malfoy abuse his son and his power for the rest of his life?"

"Sandrine, it's unfortunate. I'm not saying I like this arrangement. Do I feel sorry for the boy? Of course. It's unfair. It's unfair that Draco is being abused. It's unfair that Lucius is getting away with it. It's unfair that Lucius has the power that he does. But just because something is unfair doesn't mean it's untrue. You know how you succeed here? You work within the system, unfair as it may be, and you help the people that system allows you to help. You've helped so many people so far, and you'll help so many more in the future. But you won't be able to help anyone if you lose your job."

"Don't try that. You're not helping anyone. You were swayed by an expensive watch. Don't try to pretend it was anything more noble."

"You should have accepted the necklace."

"You really think I should accept bribes from people like him?"

"Yes. For the same reason I accepted the watch: it would have kept him off your back. It wasn't about accepting a watch. It was about accepting the rules of the game we play."

"It's not a game. It's a boy's life."

"Sandrine, we're not arguing about this anymore. You have two options. You can go back to your desk and work on any case other than this one, or you can get yourself fired working this case. Believe me, no matter what you choose, Lucius still ends up abusing his son."

"We have evidence. We can bring him down."

"Evidence? You mean the word of a House Elf and a young boy against the word of Lucius Malfoy?"

"Everyone knows Lucius is a snake."

"Yes. And yet, somehow, no one has succeeded in bringing him down. That's what you'd be up against if you pursued this. Do you want to go back to your desk now?"

"Fine. But I will find a way to help that boy."

"I wouldn't expect any different from you."


	7. Save Him

Sandy did as she was told. She went back to her desk and filed some paperwork from other cases. She _would_ find a way to help Draco, with or without support from her boss. She didn't know how she could do it, but she would find a way. She couldn't do it now. Now she would file paperwork. But first she had a few questions for her partner.

"Psst," Sandy whispered across her desk, "Levine, did you find anything back there? Anything suspicious?"

"Nope. Cabot _suggested_ that I stop looking as soon as he discovered the _misunderstanding._"

"So you agree with me that Lucius is probably abusing his son?"

"Of course I do. It was fairly obvious. But, what can you do? It's Lucius Malfoy."

"What did Lucius give you?"

Sandy's partner lifted up a beautiful bracelet. "For my wife."

"You're pathetic, Levine."

"Pathetic or an opportunist? I didn't want to back down, but if Cabot is forcing us to, I might as well get a gift for my wife out of it. Her birthday is coming up. I know you, Aleksia. I know you're not going to quit. I'll have your back even if Cabot won't."

"Thanks, Levine."

"What are partners for?"

Sandy left work that evening feeling worried. What would happen to Draco? She thought about the stories her parents had told her when she was a girl. The good witch or wizard would always defeat the bad one. She wished life were that easy. She wished she could go to Malfoy Manor, fight Lucius, win, and save Draco. The good witches and wizards in her stories never had to go through layers of red tape. They never had to "play the game" or "work the system." They could just do the right thing and then everything worked out. Sadly, that's not the way the world worked.

Sandy apparated to her home. She walked through the door. Her husband, Gabriel, was already home.

"Good to see you, Sandy. How was your day?" Gabriel asked as he kissed her on the cheek.

"Hello, Gabriel. I've actually had a terrible day."

"Tough case?"

"You could say that."

"How young this time?" Gabriel asked with concern in his voice.

"Sorry?"

"How young was your victim today? Whenever you have a tough day, it's usually a victim younger than what you're used to. How young was the kid?"

"Nine. But that's not what bothers me."

"Then what is it?"

"Cabot wants me to sweep this one under the rug. He wants me to look the other way while this child is abused."

"Is he not convinced there's a case?"

"He knows the kid's being abused. The parents are powerful people. He doesn't want the parents to come after us."

"He's letting them abuse their child to save his own skin? That's terrible."

"It is."

"I know you, Sandy. You'll find a way to help this kid."

"I'm not so sure I can. I mean, we don't have any solid evidence. Nothing that will hold up in court."

"What do you have?"

"The child's testimony. He confessed the abuse to me. We also have the testimony of a House Elf who works for the family."

"The kid and the Elf have the same story? Isn't that enough to at least investigate?"

"It should be. If it were anyone else in the world it would be."

"Who is it? Who are these powerful people that are, in Cabot's view, untouchable?"

"You know I can't tell you details about an ongoing investigation."

"Well, I guess I'm in luck. This isn't an ongoing investigation. Cabot shut it down."

"Gabriel, you know I can't."

"Well, whoever it is, you have to get them. Working at St. Mungo's I've seen far too many children suffer at their parents' hands."

"I'll bet you two to one you see this kid there someday. Or, worse, he'll be in the morgue."

"You don't think this family would go so far as killing, do you? Abuse is one thing, but murdering a child?"

"The father's been using the Cruciatus Curse on the boy. How far off is the Killing Curse? Even if he's not killed, the Cruciatus Curse has terrible effects, doesn't it? You're a Healer. Weren't you just telling me about those two patients, Alice and Frank Longbottom? They've been at St. Mungo's since the war against You-Know-Who, right?"

Gabriel cringed when Sandy mentioned the Cruciatus Curse. He had treated several patients who had fallen victim to the Cruciatus Curse, with Frank and Alice being two of the saddest cases he had dealt with. The thought of a child being subjected to torture like that was horrible.

"Yes. It is possible for the Cruciatus Curse to make people lose their minds. With a child, though, he or she would probably die before that point. Sandrine, you need to help this kid."

"I know. I just don't know how I can do this. I mean, not only do I not have support from Cabot, I don't have any hard evidence. Because Cabot stopped the investigation, we didn't have the child looked at, so we have no medical evidence. Terrible as it is, when you investigate cases like these, you sort of hope to find bruises and scars on the victim's body so you have evidence. Levine didn't have time to search the house and find any physical evidence of fighting or dark magic in the home. The father tried to bribe the three of us, which I take as further evidence, but he'll say it wasn't really a bribe, and Cabot will side with him. If anyone could hear the child crying and begging for help from the abuse, they'd know it was real. They'd know the kid desperately needed help. Oh, Gabriel, you should have been there. You should have heard the kid cry. It broke my heart. If I had evidence of the kid begging for help, we could take this guy down. His wife too. She may not be abusive, but she's neglectful. She's allowing it to happen. She's just as guilty as the father is, in my opinion. Not in the eyes of the law, of course, but she's guilty of neglect. I swear, Gabriel, I'll have the two of them locked in Azkaban for the rest of their lives. I'll take this all the way to Fudge if I have to!"

Just then, as if in response to her plea for evidence, an owl came flying through her window with a note. Gabriel picked it up and read it.

"Sandy, it's for you. It looks like it's from the kid you met today. He says his father beat him after you left and he wants your help. Draco Malfoy? Sandy, the person you're going after is Lucius Malfoy?"


	8. Proper

_Meanwhile at Malfoy Manor..._

"Draco!" Lucius' voice boomed, "Get down here this instant! Our guests will be here soon."

"Coming, Father!" Draco answered, taking a deep breath first to make sure he didn't stammer. Draco left his bedroom and walked downstairs to Lucius.

"What took you so long, boy? And where is that stupid House Elf?"

Draco was scared. He knew he couldn't tell his father about the letter he just sent. But he didn't know what to say.

"Sorry, Father."

"It doesn't matter. You're dressed on time. That's all that matters. Do you know where that Elf is?"

"No."

"He's supposed to be in the kitchen preparing things. Typical. That's something to remember, Draco. You can't trust an Elf to do a job. They're the laziest creatures on earth. You'd think they'd know their place. You'd think they'd be grateful we let them live in our homes for the small price of working for us. They don't understand things, Draco. They don't want to accept that witches and wizards are superior to them. Do you understand that?"

Draco felt bad. The reason Dobby wasn't in the kitchen was that he was sending the owl for Madame Aleksia. Draco should have gotten his own parchment and quill and taken the letter to the owlery himself, rather than make Dobby do it. Then Dobby wouldn't be in trouble. Then again, if he had done that, he would be in trouble. And why take the fall for Dobby? Draco didn't understand most of what his father taught him, but he agreed that witches and wizards were better than Elves. They had to be, right? If they were equal, why does every good home have an Elf? Someone would have figured out they were equal by now if that were true, right? Someone would have stopped treating elves like that if they truly were equal to witches and wizards, right? Things were the way they were for a reason, right?

"Yes, Father. Of course."

"Good. Now, I want you to be sitting on that chair when our guests arrive. Then you will offer your seat to the adults, especially the witches. That's another thing to learn, Draco. Wizards give up their seats to witches."

"Why? That doesn't make any sense."

"What did you say?"

"Well, it's not like girls can't stand up. So there's no reason witches should get seats when wizards have to stand. Besides, there's a lot of chairs. Why do I have to give my seat to other people when there's enough chairs for everybody?"

Lucius laughed. "Do you know how stupid you are? Of course girls can stand. Of course there's enough chairs. Do you think I can't count how many chairs there are? That's not the point. We already _discussed _ our most important rule today, right?"

"Yes, Father. Private matters are private."

"Very good. Now, can you tell me what our second rule is?"

"Always honor the Malfoy name."

"That's right, Draco. Tell me, how do we honor the Malfoy name?"

"By having a good image?"

"Is that a question?"

"No. We do it by having a good image," Draco said, this time fighting to sound more confident in his answer.

"That's right, Draco. In order to have a good image, we must remember all the right things to do, especially when we have guests. You see, it doesn't matter how nice you are. You're going to have a lot of people try to tell you all you need is to be nice. Most people think that. That's why most people don't live in manors such as ours. That's why most families aren't great like ours. Our ancestors understood the truth. As Malfoys, we aren't _nice_. Especially not to our inferiors. Instead of being nice, we're proper. That's how we stay on top. Being proper gets you further than being nice ever could. It's proper for a boy to give his seat to a respectable woman, especially when she's his guest."

"But that's stupid!"

"You dare call my rules stupid? If our guests weren't about to arrive, I'd make you pay for that childish remark!"

"I'm sorry! Your rules are right. I'll learn them."

"You're right you will. Now go sit down like I told you while I find Dobby. Crabbe and his family and Goyle and his family will be here soon."

"The Crabbe and Goyle families are our guests? Even Vince and Greg?" Draco was nervous. He had always lied to them about his house. He told them he had two play rooms. He told them he had lots of toys and played with whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. If they came here, they'd see that was a lie. He didn't want them to know the truth.

"Of course. You didn't think the adults would want to spend the entire evening with a brat like you, did you? No. After dinner, you, Vincent, and Gregory can go up to your bedroom while the adults talk."

"But, Father, what are we supposed to do while you adults talk?"

"Why would that be of my concern? I don't care what you do as long as you're all quiet and out of the way of the adults. You will be quiet, won't you?"

"Yes, Father."

"Good. Now sit," Lucius commanded, walking back to the staircase. "Dobby! Dobby, you're supposed to be in the kitchen! I'm not telling you again!"

Dobby apparated into the room. "Of course, Master Lucius. Dobby will close his ears in the oven door for not being here on time."

"Do that later! There's no time now."

"Yes, sir."


End file.
